Pope Benedict XVI received Saturday Polish President Bronislaw Komorowski for a review of bilateral and religious issues, including the question of the beatification of the pope's predecessor, John Paul II, DPA reported.
The date of the audience by Komorowski was no coincidence, coming on the 32nd anniversary of the election of then-Polish Cardinal Karol Wojtyla as pope.
The Vatican said Komorowski's talks with Benedict included issues of the dialogue between church and state and protection of human life in all its phases.
Komorowski, in his first audience with the pope since he was elected Poland's president in August, also asked Benedict about the status of the beatification process for John Paul II (1978-2005).
"We have a common hope for a good procedure in the process of beatification and the latest signals point to an acceleration of the process," Komorowski said after the meeting.
Many Catholics had urged a quick beatification for John Paul after his death in 2005. Beatification is a major step towards the canonization, or declaration of sainthood.
Normally beatification procedures are not initiated until after five years of a person's death. But Benedict started the procedure quickly, after about three months of John Paul's death.